Syrian state media has reported that Israeli rockets hit Aleppo International Airport early Wednesday, causing damage. The Syrian Defence Ministry stated that the Israeli enemy carried out the airstrike at approximately 3:55 am with several rockets from the direction of the Mediterranean, west of Latakia, that targeted the airport.
Explosions were also heard in the area earlier in the day. Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on government-controlled targets in Syria in recent years, including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but rarely acknowledges or discusses its operations.
Previous attacks on Aleppo airport
In other recent Israeli attacks in Syria, an airstrike on March 7 killed three people, putting Aleppo airport out of service and disrupting the flow of aid. Syria’s transport ministry has announced that all earthquake aid flights will be re-routed following the Israeli air strike. The Israeli air strike was said to have been carried out from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, west of Latakia, targeting Aleppo International Airport. Last month, a Damascus district housing state security agencies was hit, killing 15 people.
In January, a missile strike on Damascus International Airport killed two soldiers and led to services being suspended overnight. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group that relies on a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria, stated that “four fighters, including two Syrian soldiers, were killed.”
In December, Israel made a rare acknowledgement of operations “not just in Syria” against what it claimed were Iranian targets. Israel has acknowledged that its targets are the bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support President Bashar Al Assad’s forces. Aleppo, which suffered extensive damage during Syria’s civil war, was also heavily damaged in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in February. Since then, many countries have sent aid shipments to the airport in the city.
Image Credit: AFP
